


Afterwards

by frotesque



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: F/F, F/M, redeemed au, what happens after the redemption
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-22
Updated: 2016-05-22
Packaged: 2018-05-02 21:49:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,949
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5264921
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/frotesque/pseuds/frotesque
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Redemption was the easy part, really. What comes after, not so much. Here's how it is: Garnet was Jasper's greatest enemy until the whole redemption thing, and now she's... Well, Anyway, Jasper's really just trying to figure everything out, but it feels like Homeworld is trying to outdo itself in terms of being awful from several solar systems over and Jasper is quickly finding out that its not enough to just wear the stupid star anymore; she has to earn it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Step One

**Author's Note:**

> gemsfone.tumblr.com
> 
> here it is, the oddly anticipated replacement for the scrapped redemption au! PLease please please feel free to go in the comments or onto my tumblr and tell me what you think! Feedback is very much appreciated.

_Rose Quartz would have been proud of this._ Garnet thought as she looked at the scene in front of her. She stood alone on the porch, leaning against the railing and gazing from behind her shades at the new Crystal Gems relaxing together on the beach.

Steven had begged them to watch the sunset with him that evening, since it was the first time in weeks they were all together at the same time. Although they all had their differences, and certainly weren’t all friends, they all had one thing in common:

They would do anything for Steven.

Still, despite the amount of begging it took, the gems all seemed to be making nice. Peridot and Amethyst were laughing about something or other, likely a joke at someone else’s expense. Lapis and Pearl were building something in the sand with Steven, aided by Lapis’ ability to summon more water at will.

And Jasper…

Jasper was having the most difficult time of the three former Homeworld gems. She was a quartz, made for war, and though she did her best, wasn’t apt at peacetime activities. She sat alone, a little further back from the shore than the others. She had a newfound apprehension for large bodies of water since the incident with Malachite.

That’s what they called everything from before: an “incident”.

Almost as if she felt Garnet’s lingering gaze, Jasper turned. When she noticed Garnet, she stood, dusting sand off her backside before making her way up the stairs.

“Did you get lost?” She asked as she climbed the final step onto the porch. She moved into place beside Garnet, mimicking her pose and leaning against the rail as well. Neither of them made eye contact with each other, choosing instead to look out at the rest of their team.

Garnet shrugged. She had initially gone into the house in search of Steven’s extra shovel. She couldn’t find it, and was about to go onto the beach to let him know when she got distracted by the odd scene in front of her. “Steven’s room is a mess, but I made it fine.”

The sun’s decent began to pick up pace, and all five of the gems on the beach stopped what they were doing to watch. Jasper shook her head. “Soft, all of them.”

Garnet glanced over, smirk on her face. “You can’t appreciate a nice view?” She looked back at her team. “I think it’s amazing. Everything’s… Better.”

Jasper sighed heavily and watched as the sun sank lower, light bouncing off of the calm sea. “I guess I’m just…”

“Anxious?” Garnet finished, turning her gaze on the other gem. Jasper shrugged.

“I’m not made for,” She extended a hand to the beach, where Steven was babbling excitedly about how that had been the most beautiful sunset in weeks, “this.” She finished. She looked at Garnet, who met her stare.

“You don’t have to be.” She replied. “That’s why we fought for Earth. Here, what we were created for doesn’t matter. We live how we want.” She smiled, mostly to herself. “It’s why we’ll always fight for this place.”

Jasper sighed. “I don’t know how I want to live. It was easy for me, taking orders.”

Garnet pursed her lips. “But were you happy?”

Jasper was silent for a long time after that. It wasn’t until the rest of their team began standing to make their way back inside that she answered.

“I wouldn’t know.”

Steven bounded up the stairs. “Wasn’t it great?” He asked the two gems at the top, smile bright and cheeks flushed.

Garnet smiled back. “Beautiful. This was a wonderful idea Steven.” She was already an expert at dealing with the child. Jasper, however, didn’t say anything until he turned his gaze on her, eyes wide and expectant.

“What about you Jasper,” He asked, “What did you think?” Jasper knew Steven worked tirelessly to find things to impress her, almost as if he was trying to reassure her that her decision to protect Earth as a Crystal Gem was a good one.

Unfortunately, all of the other gems had caught up with him, and they too looked at her expectantly. She blinked at them for a moment before returning her gaze to the child before her. “It was…” She struggled to find a word that would please him, “Nice.”

She ground her teeth together when Steven’s face fell slightly. Obviously she hadn’t thought of the right one. “Oh, well,” He wrung his hands nervously as his gaze dropped to the ground in front of him, “That’s… Nice.”

“Come on Steven,” Pearl said as she came up behind him, “You still need to bathe.” She put a hand on his back, gently ushering him inside. Amethyst snickered as she came up behind them.

“Nice one J. C’mon Peridot, I have tons of junk in my room you can look through. Maybe you’ll find what you need for your thingamagig.” She grabbed the green gem’s arm and pulled her inside behind her. Lapis walked in after them, pointedly ignoring the warrior. Jasper’s face twisted up into a scowl. She turned to Garnet, who was still standing outside with her.

“See?” She shook her head. Garnet crossed her arms.

“Jasper, you don’t have to have it all figured out right away.” She pulled open the screen door and held it open for the larger gem. “Just keep fighting with us for now, and you’ll figure out the rest later.”

“Yeah, sure.” She walked inside. Garnet followed suit.

“Look on the bright side,” Garnet smirked, “Tomorrow is _training day_.”

 Jasper stopped on her way to the temple and turned to grin at Garnet. “Now we’re speaking my language.”

* * *

Training Day was _fun_. The whole team, plus Connie, joined each other in the sky arena every Friday to spar and practice intricate team and partner maneuvers. This was where all the gems found their common ground, and as a team bonding exercise it proved to be the most effective.

Garnet and Pearl sat together on the stairs, watching as Jasper and Amethyst prepared to begin their match. They were visibly excited, as they both loved a good, scrappy brawl. Likely a result of their nature as quartzes. Pearl shook her head as Amethyst leaped into action with a whoop, leaping over her opponent to grab at her long hair.

“Those two…” She trailed off, arms crossed. Garnet smirked at her.

“They’re rough.” She agreed as Jasper ducked into a roll, crushing Amethyst beneath her. “But at least they’re having fun.”

Amethyst stood, summoning her whip in a flash and snagging Jasper’s leg just as she completed her roll. Amethyst tugged and tripped her as she prepared to stand, sending her face first to the ground. The smaller gem began laughing, and Peridot and Lapis joined in from their place on the stairs.

Garnet shook her head, smiling as well. “Was Steven alright yesterday?” She asked, glancing over at him and Connie as they warmed up at the edge of the battle boundaries. “He seemed upset after speaking to Jasper.”

Pearl huffed. “You know Steven, he can’t stay down for long.” They casually scooted a couple inches to the right as Amethyst came flying towards the stairs, yelling in surprise at Jasper’s powerful hit and her new air bound state. Pearl pursed her lips. “Jasper isn’t very good at… interacting with him.”

Garnet nodded. “Not yet, no.” She raised an eyebrow at Amethyst’s prone form. “You alright?” She asked.

Amethyst groaned, but otherwise didn’t move. “Yeah, I’m just… relaxing.” Garnet hummed, amusement clear on her face. She watched as Steven and Connie laughed and clapped at Jasper’s victory. Jasper grinned at them and flexed.

“I think she’ll figure it out.” Garnet said.

 Pearl stood. “Let’s hope so. Steven! Connie! Are you two ready?” She called, moving towards the battle area. The children bounded up to her, excited and full of energy. Jasper walked over to where Garnet sat.

They sat in silence, watching Pearl battle the children with her spear. As per usual, Connie took the offense with Rose’s sword with Steven backing her up using his shield.

“Would you like to go on a mission with me?” Garnet asked, breaking the silence. Jasper whipped her gaze to the other gem in surprise. Garnet hadn’t stopped watch the children battle, so there was a chance she wasn’t talking to her.

She glanced around. Lapis had moved to the edge of the battle grounds, clearly nervous as she watched Steven fight. She did that often, as the last time she saw him in combat… well, it was against _her_ and he wasn’t this good.

Peridot had moved closer to Amethyst to check on her after her loss. Amethyst was sitting up now, and switching between pouting and cheering on Steven and Connie.

“I was talking to you.” Garnet spoke again, this time turning to look at Jasper. Jasper, for her part, did her best to keep her surprise off her face.

“Why me?” She asked. Garnet shrugged and returned to watching the match.

“It was going to be a solo mission, but I’ve seen a few instances where I get held up by some gem beasts.” She clapped along with Lapis, Amethyst, and Peridot when Steven managed to deflect a particularly advanced maneuver from Pearl. She looked at Jasper. “I _could_ do it myself, but it would be easier with some extra muscle… if you’re interested.”

Jasper grinned at that. “Well, if there’s one thing I _do_ have,” She flexed an arm, “It’s extra muscle.”

Garnet rolled her eyes, even though Jasper couldn’t actually tell. “We’ll see about that. Just be ready tomorrow. Early.”

They watched as Pearl and the children bowed to each other, smiles on their faces. “You have both come so far!” Pearl said as she stood, clasping her hands together.

“Yeah!” Amethyst agreed, standing and bounding over to their young ward. Garnet stood and walked over as well.

Jasper leaned back onto the stairs, watching as they interacted. This happened sometimes. The original Crystal Gems would get affectionate, and the former Homeworld gems had to sit back and pretend it didn’t bother them that they didn’t have something like that.

Of course, you can’t miss what you never had, right?

Steven laughed as his family hugged. “You guys! I have the greatest idea!” He exclaimed, finger pointing upwards. He moved away from the group hug and hurried up the stairs so he was looking down on everyone present. He puffed up his chest. “I propose we throw a beach party to celebrate!”

Connie agreed immediately, as did Amethyst, but the rest of the gems just glanced at each other silently. Steven wasn’t deterred. “It’ll be awesome! We’ll play games, and dad can come, and we’ll have a campfire and swim!” There was continued silence until Garnet stood from her previous crouching position and walked up the stairs until she was next to Steven.

“Alright Crystal gems,” She put her hands on her hips and grinned, “We’re having a beach party.”

* * *

 

_She didn’t quite exist yet. She couldn’t. Not until they were ready. Somewhere that wasn’t quite solid, quite real, she waited._


	2. Step Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They aren't a bad team, really. That's not to say they haven't come a long way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay chapter two! Finally got this done! Hope you guys enjoy, because I love this chapter a lot. Thanks to my betas, drowninginfelines and weiila. I'm also on tumblr at gemsfone.tumblr.com! If you need any clarification or just want to talk feel free to message me!

“Early” was about 3:00 AM the next morning. Jasper was in her construct within the temple; created when the original Crystal Gems decided that she, Peridot, and Lapis were truly ready and willing to stay and fight for Earth alongside them.

Knocking wasn’t really an option. The rooms were all connected in some way, which wasn’t a problem for the Crystal Gems, seeing as they had lived together in various states for thousands of years, but the newest members of the team were skeptical of the concept, at best.

On Homeworld, privacy was one of the most important things a gem could have. Having any was a sign of power. Soldiers stayed in crowded barracks until they were promoted to a high enough position to earn their own quarters. Jasper had been a gem of such rank.

So no, Garnet couldn’t knock, but she always made her presence known before entering. Their rooms were connected by a long cave, and she knew Jasper would hear heavy footfalls, or breaths that she didn’t really need to take.

_I don’t know if you’ve forgotten, fusion, but on Homeworld gems are expected to show some respect._

_Respect? What would you know about respect? You talk_ through _me, directly to them, as if I don’t exist._

“You weren’t kidding when you said you like to start early.” Jasper said, following through on the combat maneuver she had been practicing.

Garnet leaned against the edge of the cave and watched her, crossing her arms over her chest as she did so. “I’m not known for kidding. Are you ready?”

Jasper nodded, rolling her shoulders back a couple of times. “After you.” She extended an arm towards the mouth of the cave. Garnet nodded and began walking, and Jasper fell into step beside her. “So what’s the mission?”

“Do you remember the forest in Blue Valley? The one at the edge of the battleground?” Garnet asked.

_I’m going to rip you two apart myself!_

Jasper nodded. They entered the burning room and moved towards the entrance of the temple, which Garnet summoned. Jasper glanced up at the many suspended gems. It wasn’t the first time she had seen them, but the sight of them still made her uneasy. This would have been her fate had Steven not intervened. She didn’t entirely understand him, but she appreciated his mercy.

 They stepped out of the temple quietly. Jasper walked forward a few feet and stood on the warp pad. Garnet moved further into the house and glanced up into Steven’s room.

She smiled at the soft snores and the gentle rise and fall of his chest as he slept. Satisfied, she joined Jasper on the warp pad and activated it. She continued explaining the mission in the warp stream. “I saw an artifact there, imbedded in one of the trees.”

Jasper blinked. “ _One_ of the trees? In a forest?”

“I know.” Garnet said, adjusting her shades. “I wasn’t interested in searching every tree either. Luckily, it would seem there are some corrupted gems guarding it.”

Jasper hummed and put a hand to her chin. “That must have been their duty when they were… coherent.”

Garnet nodded. “My thoughts exactly. I figure a few monsters would be much easier to find.”

“They’ll lead us right to it.” Jasper finished. They arrived at their destination with a flash of light and took a moment to glance around at their surroundings.

The area around the warp was overgrown, a testament to how little they traveled to this destination. Light filtered through the trees, and the grass that covered the ground was tall, healthy. The area had recovered completely from the battle that had taken place there so long ago.

Jasper squinted up at the sky. “It’s daytime here.”

Garnet nodded and motioned for Jasper to follow. “There’s this concept of time zones on Earth. The humans used their understanding of the sun to create them.”

Jasper pursed her lips. “Strange.”

Garnet shrugged, stepping over a large root. “Humans… want to understand everything. Put a name to it.” A deer looked up at the approaching duo before darting off. “We’re not so different.”

_I’m no less of a person than you. The diamond authority has tried to demonize me because they do not understand._

_Oh I understand. You two are shameless. Disgusting._

Jasper hummed at that, but otherwise didn’t reply. They went on like that for a while, essentially wandering until they found a guardian beast or Garnet recognized something from her visions.

They froze when they heard a soft rustling coming from the bush beside them. Garnet lowered her voice to a whisper. “I don’t sense another gem. Do you?”

Jasper closed her eyes for a moment. She listened for rhythms in the cosmos that weren’t her own and Garnet’s. She tugged gently at the fabric of reality, and felt Garnet’s weight, but no other. She opened her eyes and looked at her companion before shaking her head. “Me either.”

Garnet didn’t bother with summoning her gauntlets before reaching and separating the leaves of the bush. A squirrel blinked up at them for a moment before scurrying past. Garnet turned to speak to Jasper when a giant hand made of thick branches snatched her from behind. She made a noise of surprise and struggled to remove her arms from its grasp so she could fight back.

Jasper summoned her helmet before charging forward. At the last moment, she dipped into a spinning roll and tore through the wrist of the hand creature. It dropped Garnet, who landed in a crouch, as it fell into a pile of lifeless sticks.

She stood when Jasper jogged over to her. “Thank you.”

Jasper grinned at her. “Well I _am_ the extra muscle.”

_You’re a brute. A mindless one at that._

Garnet turned and looked towards the direction from which she was attacked. She frowned at the lack of any easily distinguished path. She glanced over at Jasper. “What do you think?”

The larger gem shrugged. “Well whatever that was wouldn’t have attacked if we weren’t getting close.”

Garnet hummed and began walking in the direction the attack came from. “Maybe but… That obviously wasn’t a gem. We would have sensed it.” Forest debris crackled underfoot as the warriors walked together.

“No, _that_ thing wasn’t,” Jasper helped boost Garnet over a particularly large group of boulders, since the thick upper layer in this area would have made jumping over them unpleasant, “But whatever was controlling it might be.” She allowed Garnet to help pull her up and over the obstacle, and they both jumped back down to the ground on the other side.

They walked in silence for a few after that, the only sounds being the occasional leaves rustling and birds chirping. Garnet froze and extended her arm, indicating to Jasper that she should stop moving as well. “Do you feel that?” She whispered.

Jasper focused inward and extended her senses outward until she heard it as well.

Another gem’s song.

“I do.” Jasper replied, calling her helmet forth. Garnet summoned her gauntlets, and the gems moved so they were back to back, muscles tensed. Nothing stirred.

A gem beast exploded from the trees in front of Garnet; long, sharp teeth bared and claws fully extended, reminiscent to a saber-tooth tiger. Garnet leaped up and Jasper turned just in time to see that her companion had met the beast mid-flight. She watched as Garnet intertwined her fists and smashed them against the corrupted gem’s head, sending it into the dirt below.

Jasper rushed forward towards the place of impact and plowed into the creature just as it was attempting to stand. Her powerful hit sent it flying. It smacked hard against a tree trunk before disappearing in a puff of smoke.

Garnet landed gracefully. She walked forward and bubbled the gem.

“That was fun.” She said drily.

_I see it, you know. That bloodlust you try to hide. You like fighting just as much as me._

“On the bright side,” Jasper began, walking forward and standing shoulder to shoulder with Garnet, “Looks like we have a trail.” The gems stared at the path of broken branches and scattered dirt before them.

They glanced at each other for a moment before continuing deeper into the forest.

* * *

The trail led them to a small clearing. It was almost perfectly round, a sure sign that it was not created through natural means. Garnet moved to the middle of it and stood, hands on hips.

“This is it. I recognize it.” She walked forward to a tree on the far side of the clearing. “The artifact is in here.”

Her gemmed hands gently skimmed over the bark. Jasper walked over. “How do we get it out?”

Garnet was about to respond when she sensed the presence of another gem.

“We’ll figure it out later,” She summoned her gauntlets, “We’ve got company.” She turned, dashing forward just as the gem beast, almost an exact copy of the one earlier, emerged from its hiding place behind the tree line.

Jasper called forth her own weapon, but stood back and watched for a moment as Garnet fought. Everything the fusion did radiated power. When she jumped, she left craters from the force of her take off. When she punched the monster, its whole body would move with the force, completely changing directions in most cases.

“Jasper, catch!” Garnet called. Jasper dug her heels into the ground and braced herself. The beast came flying towards her at an incredible speed. She caught it with no little amount of effort, and used the momentum from the throw to swing it around, smashing it into the bark of the tree that held the artifact.

The monster poofed, and large chunks of the tree’s trunk went flying upon impact.

_They fear you. You’re a force of destruction._

_You think I don’t know that?_

_What I meant was… I get it. They feel the same about me._

Garnet landed lightly. “I’m impressed,” She said as she walked towards the damaged tree, “I believe the humans call that ‘two birds one stone’.”

The edge of the square shaped artifact was just peeking out of mangled bark. Garnet used her gauntlet covered hands to begin stripping away the rest of the wood so she could free the ancient relic.

Jasper stood behind her, scanning the clearing and occasionally checking to see if she could sense any more gem beings. She didn’t see the thick branch curling above her, slowly winding its way downwards in the small space between the two gems. It sat there, still, for a moment before stabbing right through Jasper’s chest.

Garnet spun when she heard Jasper gasp. “Jasper!”

The larger gem trembled for a moment, eyes wide. Garnet acted quickly, snapping the branch and pulling it out from where it was imbedded within her. Jasper huffed in relief. Her form twitched, and Garnet could tell she was straining to hold herself together.

“Jasper, release your form!” Garnet said, barely catching Jasper as she stumbled.

“Not gonna happen.” She replied, voice strained. “You can’t fight whatever that was by yourself.” She managed a lopsided grin as she stood a little straighter. “Besides, I don’t trust you with my gem.”

_I don’t think I’m capable of trust anymore._

_That sounds tiring._

Garnet snorted at that before turning and working on getting the artifact loose once more. “I think it’s giving the tree sentience. It’s happened before.” Frybo and the lighthouse came to mind.

 Jasper nodded and took a couple shaking steps away from the tree before turning to face it. “I’ll keep an eye on it. I’m not sure I can fight, but I’ll let you know if it moves again.”

Garnet nodded in agreement. She had most of the relic uncovered when Jasper called out to her.

“Duck!”

Garnet didn’t question her, only did as she said. She huffed when she saw a thick branch had imbedded itself in the truck of the tree where her head had been just a moment prior. She stood and grabbed onto the artifact before she began pulling in an attempt to free it.

A root exploded from the ground, and Garnet kicked it away from her, hands still wrapped firmly around the gem object.

“Help me!” She called to her companion as she deflected a blow from another branch. Jasper staggered over and helped her pull.

Another root moved to attack Garnet, but Jasper moved in front of her and snapped it in half.

 “Hurry up!” She yelled to Garnet. Her form flickered violently as she punched a hand made of thin branches into oblivion. “It’s hard staying together as is!”

With a final grunt, Garnet finally managed to wrench the artifact free. Jasper sighed in relief before disappearing in a puff of smoke. Garnet caught her gem before it could hit the ground.

_If I were to apologize to you… Would you accept?_

* * *

_Desire was new for her. In fact, she wasn’t even aware that there was a name for what she was experiencing. All she knew was that for the first time ever, she wanted to exist._


	3. Step Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things go right. Then left.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ha ha i'm just going to pretend it hasn't been three months since i last updated and say enjoy and also remind you all that I love when you leave comments and that you can talk to me more on Tumblr at gemsfone.tumblr.com! Thanks to my betas weiila and drowning-in-felines once again and I hope you like it!

Jasper reformed quickly, as was typical for warrior types. Garnet had already bubbled the artifact and sent it to the temple, meanwhile holding onto Jasper’s gem as she began her trek back to the warp. When she felt Jasper’s energy flare, she gently tossed her gem to the sky, where it floated for a moment as Jasper’s physical construct developed.

Jasper landed after her reformation, clad in the same jumpsuit she always wore. As soon as she was able, her eyes darted around, hastily taking in her surroundings. Her gaze settled on Garnet, who was waiting a few feet away, arms crossed over her chest.

“Welcome back.” Garnet said, tone light. Jasper blinked at her in shock for a few moments.

“Thanks for not… Doing anything to my gem.” She said finally. The Crystal Gems may have considered her an ally, for now, but that didn’t mean they wouldn’t take advantage of her weakness. It’s what she would have done, anyway.

Garnet snorted at that, and continued walking. “You don’t have to thank me for basic decency.” Jasper followed, eyebrows furrowed.

“I’m… new at that.” She admitted.

Garnet laughed, but didn’t reply. Jasper wasn’t sure what to make of that. She hadn’t been joking, after all.

They walked side by side, soothed by the tranquil quiet of the forest.

“I hope you weren’t expecting to disappear for a few hours to _think_.” Garnet said the moment they stepped on the warp. Jasper stared at her as she activated it.

“Huh?” She asked, confused.

Garnet smirked at her. “You do that, when you don’t understand why we do something. You go off so you can ‘think’. Or brood. Whichever.” The warp glowed as it began transporting them back to the temple.

“That was my exact plan, actually,” Jasper replied, lip twitching as she played along, “I’m almost as good at brooding as you.” She teased.

Garnet grinned at that. “You could never. We’ll have to save that for later, seeing as we have a beach party to prepare for.”

The warp dissipated in a shower of light, and the gems found themselves back at the temple. Garnet smiled when she noticed Steven was awake and cheerfully making breakfast for himself. She walked over to him, and as soon as he noticed her, he began babbling excitedly about everything from his dreams last night to the plans he had conceptualized for the beach party that would be taking place later.

Jasper observed for a moment before she heard a voice beside her. “Hi.”

She turned in surprise at the small, feminine voice. She recognized Steven’s little friend, Connie, immediately. “Um… Hi.” She returned to the girl. Connie was strange, to her. The little girl was more than suspicious of her when she had first joined up with the Crystal Gems, and since she didn’t have the same unfortunate memories of her as Steven had, she was openly hostile towards her.

It used to make Jasper furious, knowing the little human was unconcerned with how dangerous she was. Now, she couldn’t help but be kind of impressed. Jasper was incredibly intimidating, and though Connie had the Crystal Gems to hide behind, her lack of fear was remarkable.

“Are you excited for the party?” Connie asked, tone polite. Her hands were folded and her eyes were wide and innocent. A stark difference from the girl Jasper was more used to seeing on training days. She noted Connie’s far more casual dress: shorts, a t-shirt, and flip – flops, all of which a stark contrast from her training gear. It looked strange on her, in Jasper’s opinion. The girl was a warrior through and through.

Jasper managed what she hoped was a kind smile. “I suppose. Are you?” Connie grinned.

“Yes!” She exclaimed, clasping her hands in front of her chest. “You gems are always so… Interesting! I always have fun when I come here.”

Jasper’s smile grew a little more genuine at that. “Yeah? Well congrats kid,” She said, standing to her full height and massively dwarfing the girl, “You’ve managed to find the most interesting gem here.”

Connie’s eyes lit up at that. Before she could speak, Steven bounded over, smile in place.

“Jasper! I had the best idea!” He froze for a moment, grin faltering, “Um, well Garnet gave me an idea!” His smile returned. “You should help me and Connie decorate for the party!”

“Uh…”

 “It’ll be awesome!” He said as he gently grabbed Connie’s arm, pulling her to the kitchen where both of their breakfasts were waiting. He looked at Jasper again once he was seated. “I can’t wait!”

Garnet watched silently as she sat on one of the bar stools, head resting in her palm and soft smile on her face. Her amusement was obvious. Jasper spared her a glance before looking back at the children.

“Won’t we all be decorating?” She asked, bravado falling away at the thought of extended periods of alone time with the youngest Crystal Gem and his friend.

Steven nodded, fork full of scrambled eggs stopping just before his open mouth. “Yeah, but there’s a lot to do, so Garnet thought it would be a good idea to split into teams!” He ate his forkful.

Connie nodded and swallowed the pancakes in her mouth. “Makes sense.” She agreed.

Jasper’s gaze slid to the other gem, and Garnet’s smug smile was all she needed to know that this was very intentional. She turned her eyes on the children, who stared at her expectantly. “Well then,” She began, “We must make it so our decorations are superior to the others’.”

Connie and Steven laughed openly at that, and Jasper couldn’t help but feel warm.

* * *

Decoration began with tiki torches. A beach party necessity according to Steven. He and Connie would run about, scouting for places they felt would need well placed mood lighting as the day melted into the evening , leaving Jasper with the rest of the torches in her arms.  


The job was tedious on her part, and she couldn’t help but find her role a little demeaning. She’d never say it aloud – lest she offend the gems – but she felt like some dull little pearl. Purposeless until someone gave her an order. She was snapped out of her uneasy train of thought by the soft sound of Connie clearing her throat.

Jasper blinked at the noise, shifting her load slightly so she could look down at the girl. “What’s wrong?” She asked. Her eyes moved to the empty space beside the girl. “And where’s Steven?”

Connie shifted nervously, fingers twirling her hair. She was clearly avoid eye contact. “He’s uh, he ran inside to go to the bathroom.” She said, eyes still glued to the sand.

Jasper raised an eyebrow at the girl’s actions. Connie hadn’t been acting like this earlier. She frowned, trying to remember if she had one anything that would be potentially scary to a child. With a grimace, she realized that _most_ things she did would likely be frightening for someone Connie’s age.

“Jasper,” Connie began, finally gathering to courage to look the gem in the eyes, “I was wondering if you could train me.” Her words were rushed, as though she was embarrassed to ask.

Jasper, for her part, was taken aback. “Train? I thought you were training with Pearl?” She asked, confused at the girl’s request.

Connie shrugged. “I am, I mean, I love training with a sword but…” Her eyes drifted up towards Steven, who had just exited the house and began waving at her excitedly. She returned the wave with a smile before her eyes met Jasper’s once again, this time with a hard edge that hadn’t been there previously. “But there’s more I need to learn to protect Steven. Like hand to hand. And what better way to beat gems than with gem styles of fighting?”

Jasper turned to look at Steven as well. He had begun his return to their side, but seemed to have gotten distracted by a pelican walking across the sand. She turned back to Connie. “I’ve seen you train with Pearl. You seem like a good student.” She shifted the torches with a grunt. “Yeah, I’ll teach you.”

Connie smiled. “I won’t disappoint you!”

Jasper wanted to doubt that. After all, the gems were known for their colonization of other planets, often with the use of hostile methods to build their empire, and they didn’t get to be that way without battle being a fundamental aspect of society. Humans were essentially created for… Nothing of great importance.

Despite all of the evidence against her however, Jasper couldn’t help that Connie would prove herself. She smirked to herself as the trio resumed their previous mission.

* * *

The party was certainly going to be counted as a success. It began a little stiff, awkward, as the Homeworld gems weren’t familiar with the human ritual, but by the time the sun was at its peak, everyone had settled and the atmosphere was far more relaxed.  


Just as Connie had asked, Jasper was teaching her the basic stances of old fighting techniques back from when she herself had first begun extensive training. Jasper was thoroughly enjoying herself, certainly due to Connie’s laser sharp focus and dedication, not to mention that Connie had insisted they practice far back from the water to avoid being distracted.

Lapis and Steven were splashing around in the ocean, giggling openly. The original Crystal Gems sat together, talking about anything and everything as they tried not to laugh too openly at Peridot struggling to open a beach umbrella properly. If she had her limb enhancers, it would have surely been no problem, but as it were her stature and admittedly vague knowledge of the simplistic human technology left her yelling at an inanimate object. Greg watched the scene as he grilled. With a smile, he couldn’t help but wonder if this is what Rose saw for the future.

All in all, everything was going great.

Until it wasn’t.

The creature stood from the ocean, made entirely of the blue green water. It was like the swell of a giant wave, constantly stuck in the moment before breaking into foam. It possessed no face, just a set of arms that changed length and thickness sporadically.

Lapis gasped, quickly grabbing hold of Steven, thrusting an arm out and down, and using her power to create a column of water to blast them out of the water and onto the shore, back towards where Jasper and Connie stood. Lapis turned her attention to the monster while Jasper wasted no time in gathering the children in her arms and leaping onto the deck of the house. She placed them down gently just as Garnet did the same with Greg.

“Get inside,” Garnet said, not sparing them another glance before turning and sizing up the mutated gem. Jasper could only stare, frozen. She couldn’t punch water. A quick glance at Garnet confirmed that the fusion was thinking the same thing.

The rest of the gems had already pulled their weapons, except for Peridot, who just stared with wide, fearful eyes.  

The monster roared in unfocused fury, and with a sweeping gesture, sent a giant wave towards the beach. The gems all braced for impact, but relaxed slightly when Lapis raised her arms and pushed the wave back towards the corrupted gem.

“I think it’s another Lapis Lazuli!” She called, easing herself into a battle stance. “Looks like this is my fight!”

“No way!” Amethyst called. Her loud exclamation prompted the monster to attempt to blast her with a torrent of water, which Lapis redirected into the cliff side.

“None of you can manipulate water! You’d just get in the way!” She responded. She made a chopping motion with her hand, which called the ocean water to mirror her action and successfully severed the beast’s arm. The victory was short – lived, however, as the limb grew back almost immediately. She huffed in frustration. “Look, I’ve got this.”

“No offense Lapis,” Pearl called as she dodged a watery attack, “But there is no way you’re strong enough to beat this thing alone.”

“Not alone…” Garnet mumbled.

Jasper looked over in confusion at her words. Then it dawned on her what the fusion meant. “No…” She whispered, fear clenching within her gut. “You can’t!” She argued. Garnet ignored her.

“Lapis!” She called, jumping to land next to her. She held out a hand. “We need to fuse to beat this thing.”

“Garnet don’t!” Jasper yelled, watching the scene before her in horror.

Lapis exhaled shakily, staring at Garnet’s hand in apprehension. The gem monster roared, a violent reminder that Lapis had to make up her mind quickly. After only a moment her face set in determination, and though her eyes were still fearful, she placed her small hand in Garnet’s.

It was certainly abridged version of the dance that could have been, as Garnet pulled Lapis close to her with a twirl. Lapis allowed herself to be led, and spun outwards just as gracefully for a moment before jumping up and wrapping her legs around Garnet’s torso. Garnet’s arms came up to support her and they met eyes for a moment, faces only an inch or so apart before Lapis threw her head backwards and they were lost in glow of their gems.

It mirrored her own fusion with Lapis so closely that Jasper found herself shaking as though it was her who was fusing once again. In reality, however, it wasn’t a creature like Malachite who stood.

Blue Spinel _breathed_.

Their fusion was tall, of course, and beautiful. Four arms and four eyes, purple and blue mixing harmoniously and melding into dark navy skin. Her hair was only a shade away from being black, and came to roughly shoulder length, styled into micro-braids. Reflective speckles dotted her shoulders and cheeks like freckles, and Jasper was well and truly at a loss for words.

Blue Spinel grinned, and settled easily into a stance not unlike the one Lapis had taken earlier.

Jasper would have stayed there staring forever if Amethyst hadn’t began tugging at her arm, insisting that they go inside and let the fusion handle it. They shut the door, and Jasper stared at the wood as though she could see right through it.

* * *

_She felt like she was being torn in half. It wasn’t agony - she wasn’t yet able to experience physical pain - but she felt herself drift further from existence in opposite directions. This was painful in a different way._   



	4. Step 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Strangers really shouldn't understand each other so well. Except they aren't strangers anymore. And it does kind of make sense that they get each other in a way no one else had, because they're a lot alike but different enough to where one has clarity where the other doesn't. Anyway, it's the origin story to SOMETHING.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry again for the long wait pals! This chapter is not beta'd because idk im just trying to chill and I'm a lot more confident now and it felt unnecessary to put off posting this any longer. I like just pitching head canons into stuff now its like my new hobby lol. Also sorry for such a dialogue heavy chapter but idk i feel like sometimes you just need characters to put everything out there so there's some forward progression. Also i love their banter sooooo. Anyway I'm on tumblr at gemsfone.tumblr.com. talk ships or ask questions or roast me, whatever feels right I guess.

Jaspers were made to be somewhat intelligent.

The Diamond Authority had found out quickly during their conquests that having large, brutish soldiers who were stupid would never be efficient, as they had to be replaced almost as quickly as they were sprouting. The model wasn’t sustainable; their kind took too long to incubate.

So White Diamond’s scientists began their development of a new gem, one that would be as strong and powerful as their previous models, while also intelligent enough to not get shattered so quickly.

Amethyst didn’t know any of this, so in her mind, Jasper was simply staring dully into the distance for no reason other than she didn’t have anything specific to be doing. Amethyst brushed this oddity off quickly however, since Lapis and Garnet had just _fused_ and their fusion was _awesome_ and she was bouncing with excitement. It was always interesting to meet someone new.

The battle was over pretty quickly once the fusion emerged. It took only seconds after she managed to bubble the corrupt gem before the rest of the team, except for Jasper, ran outside in shock and excitement.

“Unbelievable!” Pearl breathed, stopping at the fusion’s feet. Blue Spinel lowered herself to her knees as the Crystal Gems crowded around her.

Steven had stars in his eyes. “What’s your name?” He called to her, smile stretching his face.

She blinked at him, then glanced down at the dark blue gems embedded in her palms. “I am… My name is Blue Spinel.” Her face brightened at her own words. “I’m… Awake! I can’t believe this!” She laughed, a low, rolling sound.

Jasper watched from the porch as she conversed with the other gems. Her mind was still whirling. Lapis, the monstrous, powerful little ocean gem had become _this_. Whole. Right. The gem, Blue Spinel, seemed happy, maybe even thrilled at her existence.

Unfortunately for her, her counterparts were not necessarily in agreement.

They came back in a burst of light, Lapis pressed close to Garnet like a desperate hug. There was a beat, a moment too fast for reaction, where the newly unfused gems just stared at each other. They had _fused_ , and she was whole and good and beautiful. Surely a sign of their strong combined desire to protect their little family.

The other shoe dropped.

Lapis pushed away from Garnet as though the fusion was made of fire, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. The small gem’s breathing was ragged, and caught when she stumbled slightly in the uneven sand. Her water wings materialized as she stuttered.

“I, I have to… I need to be alone.” She said, not waiting for permission before leaping into the air and flying off.

“Pearl,” Garnet said immediately, “Trail her, but don’t let her see you. Give her the time she needs. Then help her home.”

Pearl nodded morosely before leaping into the distance. Garnet’s eyes traveled over the rest of her team, taking in their varied reactions. Her eyes met Jasper’s last. She frowned at the terror in them. Terror, awe, and… relief? She couldn’t pin it. Garnet didn’t tear her gaze away until Amethyst began pulling gently on her arm. She looked down.

“She’s freaking out, I think. You should probably talk to her, before she has a meltdown or something.”

Garnet raised an eyebrow at her. “I didn’t realize you cared.”

Amethyst shrugged at that. “I’m just worried that when she goes on her rampage she’ll start breaking _my_ stuff.”

Garnet hummed in agreement before walking up towards the house.

* * *

Jasper didn’t speak at first. She had just turned silently and led Garnet to the temple door, where she summoned her room. There was a moment of silence after they entered. Jasper’s room was neat, like a military barracks. Her training equipment was organized and pressed to the wall for space. Jasper still wouldn’t look at Garnet, choosing instead to walk towards her punching bag.

She hit the bag half – heartedly with a fist before spinning and staring at Garnet. Garnet watched her face cycle through what felt like the entire emotional spectrum before settling on anger. “You’re insane!” She insisted a little hysterically before whirling around and roundhouse kicking the punching bag so hard that it flew from its stand and hit the wall with a thunderous boom.

Garnet frowned at Jasper’s sudden fury and aggressive physical reaction. She wasn’t surprised though; physicality was in a Jaspers’ nature after all. “Please calm down.” She said, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Why would you do that?!” Jasper insisted, storming up to get into Garnet’s personal space. “You know she’s unstable!” She pointed an accusatory finger at the gem before her.

“I know what I’m doing.” Garnet insisted without moving a muscle.

Jasper made a noise of disbelief before crossing her arms as well. “I know you think you’re some fusion expert or whatever, but even you can swallow your pride long enough to admit that was a stupid idea!”

Garnet rolled her eyes, though she knew Jasper couldn’t tell. “Why are you so concerned?”

Jasper pursed her lips for a moment before recalling Garnet’s appearance during her initial landing on Earth. “Do you remember the time you got your leg ripped off?”

Garnet was taken aback by the question. It was a rude one, really, and the memory wasn’t a fond one. The edge of her mouth twitched downwards for a moment, and she knew when Jasper’s gaze caught the movement that she had been made. “How would you...?” She began.

Jasper smirked cruelly. “Educated guess.” She had figured that something gruesome had happened to Garnet within moments of first seeing her. The rebels, she had noticed, tended to regenerate with their ‘fatal’ injury in mind; a symbol of their tenacity. Garnet’s leg had been adorned in pink at the time. “That’s what happened though, yeah?”

Garnet refused to appear too shaken and give the other gem the satisfaction. “It is.” She replied, her tone even.

Jasper nodded before moving towards her perfectly made bed and sitting. “Would you ever want to see that happen to someone else?” She asked.

Garnet cocked her head to the side. She had figured that Jasper had diverted the topic in an effort to be the bully she remembered from before. “Not particularly.”

“Exactly!” Jasper averted her gaze, staring at nothing for a moment before speaking again. “And for entirely selfish reasons. Because you can still feel that phantom pain. Because you can suddenly recall exactly what it felt like.” If she thought about it hard enough, she could still feel the cuffs around her wrists and the chains brushing against her sides.

Garnet hummed in understanding. “And watching me fuse with her reminded you of your own experience.” She gazed at the other gem with a little more sympathy.

“Yes!” Jasper stood suddenly, moving over towards Garnet and gripping her upper arms.

Garnet leaned away from the warrior, not quite far enough to break their contact. “Well what do you want then? An apology?” She asked. She shrugged her shoulders roughly, shaking off Jasper’s hands. “Because if so, you can forget it. We did what we had to to save you all.”

Jasper shook her head as she huffed in frustration. “I know!” She threw her arms up.

“Then what’s wrong?” Garnet snapped, quickly losing patience. “What else do you want? That’s clearly not your only issue here.” The room felt heavy with tension.

Jasper bit her lip. It was all difficult for her to explain. Emotions like these were not necessary for battle, and she hadn’t ever done anything with them beyond pushing them away. She knew she felt twisted up and bad and that there were layers of horrible feelings hiding whatever her real issue with everything was but she was at a loss for how to communicate it to Garnet. “I want the truth.”

“About what?” Garnet asked, confused and irritated.

Jasper bit her lip. “Did you like it?” She looked away. “Her?” It was embarrassing to ask. She didn’t want to come across as jealous. She wasn’t _jealous._ Not of Garnet anyway.

“Blue Spinel?” Garnet shrugged. “Sure. She’s a lovely fusion. Protective. Genuine.”

Jasper clenched her hands into fists. That wasn’t the response she had wanted to hear. “Would you do it again?” She asked through clenched teeth.

Garnet loved fusion. She loved everything about it, especially when it came from such a pure purpose. She wasn’t going to lie for Jasper’s benefit. “Yes. But Lapis has just as many issues as you. She won’t do this again short of necessity. So what’s wrong? Really?”

Jasper turned to look at Garnet again.  “I thought you wouldn’t come back. That you wouldn’t want to.” She admitted.

Garnet was once again surprised by the warrior gem. She cocked her head to the side. “I’m… I’m not sure I understand.”

Jasper sighed heavily before moving back to her bed and plopping down onto it. She patted the spot next to her, and Garnet sat.

“Lapis is powerful. Her fusions are powerful. And that power… It’s addictive. I was willing to give up being myself so I could keep it. So I could stay Malachite.” Jasper loved being herself. She saw this same love in Garnet.  “So the point is, I was concerned for you, was that wrong of me?” She glanced at Garnet for a moment before looking away again.

Garnet’s gaze didn’t waver from the warrior gem. “No,” She admitted, tone kinder, “but I had it handled.” Her voice was stern, now. Confident.

Jasper rolled her eyes and stood with a huff before pacing as she considered her words. “Yeah, yeah I get it. You don’t NEED anyone. You always have everything under control.” She paused in her pacing when she noticed Garnet’s face fall. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” The fusion seemed to think for a moment, as if deciding whether or not she wanted to say what was on her mind, before shaking her head.

Jasper groaned and turned to look at her companion fully. “Don’t do that. You always manage to make me speak my mind. The least you can do is return the favor.”

“It’s no big deal Jasper.” Garnet insisted, moving to stand and leave through the cave that connected their rooms. She had barely made it past Jasper when the warrior spoke up.

“I don’t understand why you refuse to let anyone help you.” Garnet froze at Jasper’s words, though she didn’t turn to face her. “Why you’ve got this… family, something the rest of us weren’t so lucky to have, and you won’t even use it! Why are you so satisfied with being quietly miserable? Just talk to me.” Jasper walked over to the fusion and gently grabbed her wrist.

“I’m not miserable Jasper, it’s just that I… Rose left _me_ in charge.” Garnet said, turning and facing the other gem, taking care to not dislodge Jasper’s hand. “I’m their leader. I have to be strong for them.” Her shades blinked out of existence. Jasper blinked at her eyes, surprised at the determination in them. She knew, realistically, that Garnet had emotions, but her shades were incredibly effective at hiding them from the team.

“Ok, fine, let’s pretend for a moment that actually makes sense.” Jasper said, shaking off her mild surprise. “Guess what? I’ve been at this stuff since before you knew how to walk properly. You don’t have to impress me or put on some brave face to be my leader. I already respect you enough to follow your lead as is.” Her hand slid from its place on Garnet’s wrist, fingertips brushing the fusion’s hand before coming to rest on her own hip.

Garnet blinked at the warrior, not knowing the name for the emotion welling up inside her. “You want me to talk to you? Fine. I don’t like holding everything in. I don’t like having to constantly pick and choose what reactions and emotions are appropriate. I don’t like being so closed off. But I have to.” She stared at the floor, looking more vulnerable than Jasper has ever seen her. “They… They are so lost. So confused about themselves and everything else. They need something strong, something solid.”

“You say it like you’re any better?” Jasper mumbled, knowing her words were harsh but necessary. “Like you aren’t just as confused and sad and scared as the rest of us?” She shook her head and tapped the bottom of Garnet’s chin, prompting her to look up. “Look, let’s make a deal. From now on, you have to start talking to me about this stuff. I don’t care if you have to be angry or sad or insecure. But you _have_ to release all this pent up… whatever somehow. I won’t tell anyone else about it.”

Garnet shook her head. “This is… I haven’t even told Amethyst or Pearl about this. Why… Why am I telling _you_?” It felt to Jasper that Garnet was thinking aloud, and she made a conscious effort to not be offended at Garnet’s tone towards the end.

“They’re scared to tell you like it is.” Jasper met Garnet’s confused gaze. “You’re practically perfect in their eyes,” Jasper elaborated, “They’ll never check you. Not like I will. If you want this, it’ll have to be me.” She hadn’t lived as long as she had without being observant. The original Crystal Gems practically worshiped the ground Garnet walked on.

Garnet bit her lip before shaking her head. “I don’t know Jasper.” She looked up at Jasper, eyebrow raised. “And besides, wasn’t this supposed to be about you?” She put her hands on her hips, wondering to herself how they had veered so sharply.

Jasper shrugged, unable to deny that. “What’s wrong with a mutually beneficial relationship? I want to do this as-“

“As a friend.” Garnet finished, eyes wide with the realization of what Jasper had been trying to really say all along. The brute genuinely _cared_. How novel.

Jasper looked away nervously at that. “Uh, I wouldn’t…”

Garnet smirked. “But that’s why? Right? Because you care.” She walked up to Jasper and poked her chest with her finger. “ _That’s_ friendship. It’s not as difficult or elusive as you seem to think. And you know what friends do?” She held out a hand. “Trust each other. Which means you’ve got yourself a deal, Jasper.”

Jasper still wasn’t sure how she felt about the ‘friends’ concept, but she did… care, so if the title was what it took, then she’d gladly make the sacrifice of dignity.

She shook Garnet’s hand.

* * *

_Hectic. That was her existence, however short. There was nothing definite, only change. Were she able, maybe she would have lost her mind. Such a thing wasn’t possible though, and instead she felt herself become stronger again and reveled in the sensation._


End file.
